Payoffs all played out, Bill insists

Last week Mayor de Blasio speed-walked down a Queens street away from a press pack hectoring him about a donor who’d claimed he’ d demanded “lots of access ”to City Hall in return for big-buckschecks.

During Wednesday night’s debate, the mayor had put that all behind him, stating flatly that he won’ t be releasing anymore information about donor Jon a Rechnitz’s many communications with him.

With amere six days until the night he’ll likely win reelection, the mayor took the position in the final debate before Election Day that nobody really cares about pay-toplay at City Hall.

“I’mnot releasing any more information,” he proclaimed. “These issues have been looked at by thea uthorities . . . . Everyone knows that. They understand that these other issues were looked at and therewas no followup.”

The facts are these: de Blasio was investigated for a year by both federal and local prosecutors. They ultimately did not bring charges but did make a very public pointof stating that he intervened on behalf of donors and took actions “contrary to the intent and spirit of the law.”

Starting last week, one of those donors, Rechnitz, testified in court tha the’d madehis intention tobuy influence at City Hall crystal clear.

Rechnitz, sworn in to tell only the truth, said that deBlasio gave him his personal cell number and email andeven personally solicited a $102,300check fromhim.

Asked about the specifics of these interactions, de Blasio suffered a temporary memory loss.

During the debate, the mayor claimed he barely knew the man he on cereferred toin an email as “my good friend.”

Healso shut the door on further inquiry by stating clearly that he would not release anymore information about his many Rechnitz interactions.

He did this despite his two rivals’ desperate and repeated attempts to question his integrity, with exNY PD Detective Bo Die tl calling him a criminal and Assembly woman Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island) promising that, “On Jan. 1, the ‘For Sale’ sign comes off the gates of City Hall.”

But on Tuesday, all the polls indicate, de Blasio will likely be the one throwing a big victory party.